No Indian movies in BBC’s top hundred films of this century

The BBC released a list of top 100 films of 21st Century selected from the names recommended by 177 film critics in the world but there is no films from India.

Each critic submitted 10 films and out of the 599 submissions received, the top 100 were chosen. And after all that effort, not one Indian film made to the list. Not one.

There are three Asian films in top 10, India failed to find favour. The three Asian films made it to top 10 of the BBC list were Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love (second), Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning Spirited Away (fourth) and Edward Yang’s Yi Yi (eighth).

A large majority of Indian films, especially blockbusters, would hardly please a seasoned critic. Most popular Indian films are insipid, in terms of plot and acting, and due to lack of discerning audience, filmmakers are reluctant to push the boundaries. Many Indian films even rely on item numbers to sell tickets.

But India is still the largest film producer in the world, and there are many Indian films that do push those boundaries, that go beyond the accepted norms and manage to make groundbreaking cinema, often with limited resources.

India is coming out of stereotypes and many new young film makers are daring to trespass the forbidden boundaries of traditional Indian values. One heartening fact is many women are turning their attention to film making and many male directors have set their sights on making women-centric movies. Only 16 years of the new century have passed and we are sure lot of good things will happen to Indian cinema during the remaining eight decades of this century! That’s a very, very long time though!

According to a magazine, Satyajit Ray The Apu Trilogy (1955-59) was No. 54 in the last century. – CINEWS